


Heat of the Moment

by otherstuff



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Karate Kid (Movies)
Genre: Alpha Daniel LaRusso, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Knotting, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Nesting, Omega Johnny Lawrence, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:47:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26405245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/otherstuff/pseuds/otherstuff
Summary: Johnny has gone through a life of physicals and athletic competitions with his secret status as an omega intact.Of course LaRusso would find a way to screw that up, too.Maybe he can find a way to help him fix it.
Relationships: Amanda LaRusso/Daniel LaRusso (at the start), Daniel LaRusso/Johnny Lawrence
Comments: 31
Kudos: 247





	1. Chapter 1

“One more question!” Miguel said, prompting a strangled sigh to fall from Johnny’s mouth.

They were just finishing cleaning the dojo after their training session. Having spent twenty minutes wiping everything down, they were now working on the mats.Those twenty minutes were slowed with question after question of how to act on the date he’d managed to score. First kiss aside, the kid apparently had some anxieties on how he should act on an "actual date," whatever that meant.

“You get one more, and then I’m gonna make you do fifty push-ups for every one you ask after that.”

“Fair enough, Sensei.” Miguel said with a small laugh, knowing that he’d be held to that. “I just don’t want her getting the wrong idea about me, so I’m trying to be careful about- ya know- alpha stuff. It’s just that, when I get nervous, I…”

Johnny rolled his eyes and threw the towel at the mat before turning over his shoulder. “Spit it out.”

“I- I musk when I’m nervous!”

Johnny’s eyes narrowed at that, and he clicked his tongue as he got back to work.

“Is that all?” he asked, a laugh bubbling in his throat. “Just lean into that, she’ll think it’s manly. Back in school, alphas used to stink up the halls all the time. They had to call a whole assembly about it.”

“But I don’t want her thinking I’m putting the moves on her! She’s an alpha, too. She might get angry or think I’m trying to make a move or-”

“Not if she’s as scentblind as other alphas I know.”

“What?”

“Don’t worry about it.” He finished with the square and rolled his shoulders as he stood, cracking his neck to the side. “Besides, what else can you do?”

Miguel’s hands found their way into his pockets, and his eyes met the floor. “I dunno. Guess I could ask my mom about suppressants or something.”

“Tch- Only _omegas_ use suppressants,” Johnny said and launched the rag into the bucket of water. He still hadn’t realized his mistake when he turned to see Miguel staring at him. “What?”

“Sensei,” Miguel started with a small laugh, “don’t _you_ use suppressants?”

Johnny felt the strain of his eyes widening and his face growing hot under Miguel’s stare. Of course anyone with a nose would notice he didn’t give off any odor, especially not that of an alpha. He had been without a group of alphas to blend into since high school. If there was _anything_ he could say to backtrack- something about how it wouldn’t be right for a coed dojo to be run by an alpha _not_ on suppressants, or that he’d had a vasectomy, anything to refute the implication hanging between them- the time to say it was lost with the drop of Miguel’s jaw.

In the next moment, Johnny’s arm was underneath that jaw, forcing Miguel downward so that he was laying against the freshly-cleaned matts and his face was but an inch away from his sensei’s.

“If you’re gonna say anything smart,” he hissed, “if you even _think_ of telling anyone about this, I’ll roll you up in your gi and kick your ass to China to get you started looking for a new teacher, got that?”

“No no- Sensei! Sensei, I’d never do that to you,” Miguel insisted, hands up in surrender long after Johnny stepped back and allowed him to stand up. “I mean, just because you’re- well, not an alpha- doesn’t mean you can’t teach karate! I mean, you’re a great sensei!”

A sigh struggled and racked through Johnny’s chest before it tore from his throat and into the hands he’d folded over his face. He’d gone his entire life leaving almost everyone oblivious to his sex. His parents knew, obviously. It was his step-father’s idea to mask his sex in the first place. Then his beta mate had found out when she’d managed to knock him up in what the clinic doctor had called “a medical miracle” before he’d snuck out. Even Robby didn’t know.

“Sensei.”

He turned to find Miguel hunched over, hands opening and closing as any idea of what to do with them failed him.

“It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone, I promise. But, you know, no one would really care. I don’t think so, at least. It’s your business, I’ll stay out of it, but it’s not that big of a deal. I swear.”

“Thanks for that,” Johnny said. Though his expression was that of neutral displeasure, he really did mean it. “You’re still a little naive about how the world works, though, if you think anyone but you would be okay learning from an omega.”

Miguel furrowed his brow. “The dojo is mostly betas. Why would they care?”

“Betas _always_ care,” Johnny said, crossing his arms. _“Almost_ as much as alphas do, maybe more if they’re doctors. Trust me, kid. I know what I’m talking about.”

He didn’t look convinced, but kept his mouth shut anyway.

“Go home,” he nodded toward the door and walked to his office. “I’m gonna spend a few more hours here. Study for a test or look up dating tips online or something, I don’t care.”

“Right,” Miguel said. “Bye, Sensei.”

He held his breath without thinking about, only relaxing when he heard the _ring_ and subsequent _click_ of Miguel leaving him alone.

There was no fear in his secret getting out. No _real_ fear, at least. He knew Miguel was too good to betray him like that. Any fear in being found out laid instead in his own insecurities. It laid in a childhood of avoiding his fellow cobras, and it laid in the compact of pills he couldn’t afford to refill. If Miguel had only just found out, he may have had a chance cruising by on alpha-marketed body sprays and making sure he wasn’t overexerting himself during training.

He stopped his train of thought right there. Stewing in anxiety over something he couldn’t control was never a good idea.

_I need a drink._

That wasn’t a good idea either, but it was better than feeling sorry for himself.

* * *

“Better” didn’t always mean “good.”

Johnny always seemed to forget that, only to be reminded when things went wrong. It seemed that time when things went wrong came when Daniel LaRusso’s car screeched into the parking space right in front of the front door half-way into a training session. Hostile eyes found him in the crowd of students and stayed locked onto him as they turned to see who was entering their Sensei’s dojo.

“Do you think this is _funny?”_ Daniel asked.

Johnny met him with a smirk as he crossed his arms.

“Depends, what are you talking about?”

That question infuriated the man before him, though apparently not enough to keep his shoes on when he finally crossed the mats to get in his face. Hurriedly prying them from his feet, Daniel struggled to stay upright as he yelled, “What am I talking about!? _Three_ cars totaled in _my_ lot. You wanna tell me something about that?”

A murmur broke out from the students. Johnny was sure he was too good of a drunk driver to hurt any cars unless he was purposefully trying to do so. At the same time he wasn’t so sure that it _hadn’t_ been purposeful. He wasn’t even sure he was the one who’d done it, so he couldn’t honestly say Daniel was wrong.

“You’ve got the wrong man, LaRusso.” _Dishonestly_ was a different story. “Why don’t you head on back and find the person who did?”

“Oh yeah, I’m sure you’d like that. You’d like me to just- to just turn around and let your kids keep thinking you’re their perfect karate teacher, but you’re just a crook, you know that? A _crook.”_

“Yeah, okay, look,” he reached out to put a hand on Daniel’s shoulder only to snap his hand back when he went to knock Johnny’s arm to the side. “Watch it, LaRusso.”

“You’re the one that should watch it. I came here to see if you could talk me out of calling the _cops.”_

“I didn’t wreck your cars. Bark up someone else’s tree, will ya?”

He didn’t have to see the glower Daniel leveled him with to know he didn’t like that. His nose would have been enough. Even he wasn’t paranoid enough to think Daniel was doing it on purpose. He was pissed, and as far as he knew, he was challenging another alpha on foreign ground. It was only natural he’d musk up a little bit. It would happen with any other alpha, and any other alpha would tone it down once they noticed. Unfortunate for them all that Daniel LaRusso was helplessly scentblind.

Without the self awareness, LaRusso’s rich, piney scent was left to fester through the room and infect everyone in it. It brought Johnny back to a distant memory where that same overwhelming smell had mixed with that of bonfire smoke only to be overpowered by the sensation of his teeth clicking together.

The looks on his students' faces told Johnny he wasn’t the only one who noticed the musk filling the dojo. This was getting ridiculous.

He stepped forward and put himself between the alpha and the kids now backing to the edge of the mats.

“Get out of my dojo.”

Daniel only laughed at his growled order. It was a humorless noise that Johnny had to focus on not backing down from before his instincts could tell him otherwise. 

“Not until we settle this.”

“What do you want, man? You want a _fight?_ Or did you just come down here to run your mouth off to me in front of my students?”

“I don’t want a fight. I want you to admit what you did and tell me how you’re going to make it right for once in your life, Lawrence.”

“He doesn’t know anything,” Miguel said. He took a step forward but stopped when Johnny threw out his arm to stop him.

The movement alone was enough to throw him off balance, the musk having taken its toll.

“Get your little lawyers and cops or _whatever_ you need, LaRusso. I’ll be here. Until then, make sure you aren’t.”

LaRusso left after that, though his miasma continued to plague the dojo long after the door closed behind him. Johnny almost didn’t trust himself to stay steady as he took a step back.

When he noticed his students were stuck looking at him, he barked, “Back to drills!”

“Yes, Sensei!” they yelled back before splitting into even rows and lines to resume their instructions.

“Diaz, direct them while I take care of something.”

“Actually, uh, Sensei.” Miguel approached him and lowered his voice. “Sensei, can Aisha lead the drills? I have something to ask you.”

He was about to say no, only to roll his eyes and accept. “You heard him, Ms. Robinson. Take care of it.”

“Yes, Sensei,” she said and took her place at the front of the room.

They left the space to retreat into Johnny’s office, the man in question jumping when Miguel closed the door behind him. It wasn’t as though he was scared or even uneasy with Miguel. The kid was too soft to be considered a threat, but it wasn’t really Miguel himself that was freaking Johnny out. All his life, he’d thought that it was harder to exist in a room of people who didn’t know he was an omega. He never considered how bad it could be to exist in a room with someone who did.

He could see the way Miguel’s eyes searched him. The kid was young, and his mother was a beta. He was probably feeling protective over an omega that was close to him. It made Johnny sick to know he was the reason for that worry. Contempt for himself and self loathing clawed at him only for him to beat them back and stare Miguel down.

“What’s wrong, Diaz?”

“I just- maybe you should take it easy in here. I can let you know when the musk clears up.”

“I don’t need you taking care of me, alright? I’ve been around alphas my whole life, and it’s not the first time one’s gotten in my face- _especially_ not the first time _LaRusso’s_ gotten in my face, got it?”

“I know, Sensei, but…”

Johnny waited a second or two before he asked, “What!? What is it?”

Miguel swallowed, his feet shuffling before he leaned forward to say in a much quieter voice, “You’re scenting, too.”

Johnny audibly sniffed at the air, grabbing the collar of his gi and pulling it over his nose to get a better whiff of himself. It was always harder to smell your own scent, but never impossible. Certainly not when you happen to be a musking omega in the back room of a disgustingly hot dojo.

There was something mixing with his usual scent, one usually so demure and unnoticed by even Johnny himself. It was an undertone that stung as much as it soothed. It sparked something in him that shot panic into him like bullets.

“Damn it,” he hissed, turning to his desk and throwing open one of the drawers to fish out a bottle of body spray. He coated himself in the cloak of birch and mint before stomping past Miguel and slamming open the office door. “Change of plans- get your shit, leave. Practice your drills at home. I have something I need to take care of.”

Murmurs of confusion and wails of disbelief mixed together, sounding off long after Johnny shut the door again and returned to gather his own things from the corner.

“Sensei, is everything okay?”

“Peachy,” he shot back. “Just peachy. You got a way home?”

“Uh, yeah, my m-”

“If not, you’re walking.” He fished out his keys and tossed them Miguel’s way. “Do me a favor and lock this place up on your way out. Send out one of those- uh- those tweets or whatever and make sure the class knows there won’t be a class tomorrow, either. Maybe not until Tuesday.”

“Sensei, if you’re worried about them smelling you, it won’t take a whole week end to go away.” Almost shamefully, he added, “Will it?”

“Get your foot out of your mouth, and don’t forget to lock up.” He went over himself with the spray one more time and threw on a coat that was way too hot for the blistering early fall temperatures.

Then he was out the door, beating the second half of his students that had yet to filter out after the early flyers. He had to get home.

The drive was tense, his hands tight around the wheel as his senses worked in overdrive to make sure he wasn’t lulling on the road. He didn’t have anyone to call, so he was going to have to drive anyway. He was just lucky that Miguel had pointed this out to him sooner.

As it was, he was still in a state of denial.

Even on the road home with the sweet scent cutting through him, he was telling himself that he was just a little thrown off by Daniel’s outburst. Of course he knew that wasn’t true.

He knew before he saw the state of his flushed skin in the rear-view mirror, though his denial worked past that. Even when he finally pulled into the apartment parking lot, dragged his tired body up the stairs, and slammed the door shut behind him, he didn’t let the realization sink in. It rolled off of him as he slid to the ground, his hand fumbling with the lock over his head.

It didn’t feel safe to be in his own living room.

He told himself he could swallow the fear but still picked himself up to fall into his bedroom and lock that door as well. It was a buzz of irrational anxiety, and Johnny knew that. But that was the thing about irrationality, you can’t reason your way out of it. The more that he tried to do just that, the more frustrated Johnny became as he shed his gi. It suddenly felt too tight in comparison to his boxers and the t-shirt that slipped over him like a second skin. Now _properly_ dressed for an early afternoon, he threw himself onto his threadbare sheets and pulled the think blanket over himself. 

He felt stupid holding his pillow to his chest like a scared child, though he knew no one could see him like that. It did nothing to fight off the hungry stares he could almost feel running over his body in what he knew to be his empty bedroom. On top of his dread he almost felt too tired to sleep.

_Almost._

The middle ground his body found was drifting in and out of sleep, brought in by the heaviness of his limbs and eye lids only to be dragged back out by the dull panic in the back of his mind and a deeper ache that brought on a desire to seek out a body to hold.


	2. Chapter 2

The battle between dozing and consciousness was tiring, though he still couldn’t find the bliss of sleep. It was almost enough to wrench him out of bed- to seek out the alcohol in his fridge, though he needed water a lot more than he needed the liquor. Drought had patterned itself along his throat like wallpaper, leaving his chest almost as pained as his stomach.

This was more than just the aftermath of suppressed hormones or some omegan aversion to alpha hormones. He swallowed down the truth of the situation and forced himself out of bed in the hopes that maybe a drink  _ would  _ be the cure to whatever he was feeling.

More regret washed over him when a knock sounded on his door. It thundered too loudly and left his ears ringing as his eyes found the slats of his blinds. They were closed, but he could still see that it had long grown dark outside.

He was tired, still without alcohol, and apparently still expected to entertain some sort of guest in the middle of the night.

Digging through the drawer at the end of his kitchen island, he was pleased to find his emergency bottle of body spray was still full. If his scent was half as noticeable to an outsider as it was to him, he’d need the whole thing.

Another set of knocks assaulted the door.

“I’m coming!” Johnny yelled before the sound of the mist blocked out whatever response came from his guest.

He threw the bottle in the drawer and slammed it shut. When the door was pulled open, he wished he hadn’t put in the effort.

“Hey,” Daniel said a bit sheepishly. “Is this a bad time? it looks like this is a bad time. I can leave you alone, and we can talk tomorrow if you-”

Amanda, who had been standing behind him with a pointed glare, stepped forward and took his arm in her own. “What my husband means,” she began, “is that he’s here to apologize for some accusations he made today regarding our dealership.”

Johnny’s eyes narrowed, first in confusion and then intrigue as he remembered what had exactly set this whole thing into motion.

“Oh yeah?” he asked, puffing out his chest as he slid forward to rest his forearm against the doorframe. “Find the guy who did it?”

Still shameful, Daniel squeaked out, “Yes.” His eyes found the ground just as he found his voice. “I’m sorry, Johnny. It wasn’t fair to blame you, and that’s my bad.”

He really wanted to drag this out. He wanted to relish the look of agony on LaRusso’s face as he was forced to apologize to his eternal rival. “No problem. Good night.” It was a shame he didn’t have the luxury of relishing anything right then.

“Wha- whuh- what a good night?” Daniel stammered, his hand breaking out of Amanda’s arms only to land on Johnny’s door. “Wait, that’s it? Come on, don’t save something for later. I feel bad enough as it is.”

“Good. Feel bad on your way out.”

When Larusso stopped him from closing it a second time, Johnny could have wept.

“Johnny, come on. I mean it, okay. This isn’t a ploy to get you to do anything.”

He sighed. “I didn’t say it was, LaRusso. I just-” He stopped when he noticed Amanda’s eyes tracing the window of his apartment from the outside, her nose turned to the air. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, snapping her head to look towards him as her gaze fell to the floor. Again, she said, “I’m sorry, we’ll go,” and retook a hold of Daniel’s arm.

“What?” he asked. “Why?”

“Daniel, come on,” she mumbled, “Johnny obviously has  _ company.” _

“Company?” the shorter man snapped back before looking at Johnny. “You have company?”

Johnny opened the door a bit wider and leaned in at his tone. “No need to say it like that.”

“Like what? I’m just- I-” He turned to Amanda. “How’d you know he had company?”

“Daniel, you and your nose are hopeless.” Apology radiated from her as she leaned a bit closer to Johnny and whispered, “Sorry about bothering you. We’ll let you get back to your mate.”

Johnny’s eyes widened and he snapped back through the doorway so that there was a bit more distance between him and Daniel’s decidedly more-aware mate.

He stood there for a minute, feeling the heat spread to his face as he found himself stuck between politely accepting the unearned apology and closing the door. Somewhere in his head those actions weren’t connecting. The gears were gummed up with panic and fatigue, leaving him there until he began to doze.

At that moment and time of all times, he was finally starting to fall asleep. His body had had enough of him pushing through the strain.

When he lurched forward, Daniel was there to catch him with one arm snaked around his back and his other hand splayed against Johnny’s ribs. He could barely manage a humiliated reprimand as he struggled to stand back up on his own.

Daniel pushed up on the hard muscle of his chest, helping him to stand a little better with a rough laugh.

“She’s running you ragged, huh?” he said, never able to keep his mouth shut.

“Daniel,” Amanda said, “I don’t think there is a ‘she.’”

“Oh- uh-  _ he- _ sorry, Johnny, you gotta remember my nose is terrible. Basically a beta nose. I definitely can’t discern scents like th-”

_ “Daniel- _ get him inside.”

He looked like he was about to keep going and asking impossible questions, but Amanda was already shoving him square on the shoulders. It kicked him into gear, turning Johnny around and helping him into the quiet apartment so that he could slump onto the couch.

Amanda shut the door and fixed the lock into place before looking through the slats of the blinds like some image of paranoia.

“I thought you said he was an alpha.”

“H-He is!” Daniel said.

“He is  _ not.” _

“Amanda, this is ridiculous- Johnny, tell her.”

“I’m an omega.”

“See! Right there, from the horse’s mouth! He’s an om-” He spun around to face Johnny. “An  _ omega?” _

Still taking heavy, uneven breaths, Johnny didn’t respond verbally to the implied question. He only ground his teeth and stared straight ahead, afraid of whatever he might find written across Daniel’s face.

“But,” he stopped where he was going to take a step forward. “Ali was an omega. You always used to hang out with alphas-  _ Cobra Kai _ only allowed alphas.”

“Until me.” A beat of silence rang through the apartment, air around them thick with tension. “Kreese didn’t know. Jimmy didn’t know. Tommy didn’t know- no one knew, and it better stay that way, you got it?”

Daniel put his hands up, leaning forward with his lips pursed as he attempted to placate Johnny and his fears.

“I’m not telling anyone,” he said. “But it sounds like you’re slipping on trying to cover this up if Amanda thought you were in heat.”

It took a little longer to choke out than he would have liked, but he finally managed, “I am.”

If Daniel’s brain hadn’t short circuited before, it did then.

“Huh?”

“I am, and it’s  _ your fault.” _

“Woah woah! I know I tend to a few tiny trees in, but I’m  _ far _ from mother nature!”

Johnny threw himself onto his feet, forcing LaRusso to back up a few feet. “It was  _ your _ musk that  _ did this to me!  _ You set off my hormones into a premature heat, you  _ asshole!” _

“Excuse me? Why weren’t you on suppressants?”

“Because  _ someone  _ got the dojo’s rent jacked and I had a choice to make, alright!?” He went to shove the lamp off the end table- to make a loud noise when he emphasized that he wanted the couple to  _ get out- _ only for his knee to buckle and bring him to the ground.

Amanda lurched to help him up, but Daniel was the one actually hoisting him off of the floor and helping him down the hall to his bedroom where he was properly laid down on the bed.

“I’m gonna head out and get some aspirin, maybe a disk of suppressants,” Amanda said, already halfway through Johnny’s bedroom doorway.

Daniel rested a hand on her forearm. “Woah- what am I supposed to do until you get back?”

“Take care of him. Get him water, medication if he needs it, and make sure you keep your hormones in check for once.”

“Baby, baby  _ please,  _ you can’t leave me alone with an omega in heat. Can’t we just take him to a hospital?”

“No hospitals!” Johnny shouted with the same insistence of a victim with a gunshot wound who had similar ideas about medical facilities.

“He obviously doesn’t want anyone finding out, Daniel,” Amanda said. “We need to respect that. I’ll go get the supplies. You’ve taken care of me for years,  _ and _ you’re mated. He won’t have any affect on you, even if you  _ could  _ smell his pheromones. You were made for this.”

She grabbed his hand and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth, squeezing his hand once to reassure him.

“I’m going to get those supplies.”

And then she was gone.

Johnny was still there, along with Daniel, left to fidget haplessly in the corner of the room.

In the depths of his humiliation, Johnny couldn’t find the words to make fun of him. He couldn’t even find a sleeping position that made him feel better about being left alone in a room with the man.

He could almost sense as Daniel moved down the wall toward the foot of the bed. It would look ridiculous to turn around entirely in the bed so that his head was on the side Daniel was standing on. Otherwise, he’d have to live with the fact that curling up against the wall meant that LaRusso had a front row seat to the ass of his boxers. He was too tired to wrestle the blanket out from underneath him, though his pride did keep him from wrapping as tightly around the pillow as he would have liked to. 

There was no need to show his rival how touch starved he was by going to second base with a pillow.

“You look cold. Do you need another blanket or something?” Daniel paused. “Maybe some pants.”

“Get out of my apartment. Let me sleep.”

Daniel was caught between taking the out provided to him and Amanda’s orders. Ultimately, he stayed with a sigh.

“Johnny, come on. You know I’m not going to hold this against you or anything. There’s nothing to hold! Amanda and I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’m fine. I’m  _ great,  _ even! I’m just  _ horny.”  _ He pushed his face into his pillow, still not daring to turn around and look Daniel in the eye. “This is  _ disgusting.” _

“It’s not disgusting,” Daniel said, his pitch trailing up as he looked for words to continue that thought. “It’s just a fact of life. For omegas, I mean. For you. Sure it’s hard, but that’s how life is.”

He glared over his shoulder. “Not for alphas, though, huh?”

“I- I mean, not for  _ all _ of us.”

“Oh really?” Johnny forced himself to sit up, arms still cradling the pillow to his chest. “I didn’t realize you were some kind of freak alpha that had heats. My mistake.”

“I’m not!” Daniel’s offended tone said it all, and he seemed to realize as much before the displeased look crossed Johnny’s face. “That’s not what I meant- alphas have other stuff to worry about. We can’t control our ruts, and they’re not as hard on our bodies as heats, but then we have the territorial stuff and the musking-”

Johnny almost  _ snarled. _ “Don’t remind me of the musking.”

“I’m sorry about the musking! It’s not like I meant to do it. You know me, you know I  _ do that.  _ Your- your cobra  _ goons  _ chewed me out for it at the beach, you heckled me for it in the bathroom at the Halloween dance, and the refs had to issue a  _ warning _ for ‘unsportsmanlike conduct on grounds of territorial behaviors.’ Yeah, the last one was anonymous, but  _ we all know who they were talking about.”  _ The breath he let out was one of exasperation, hands running through his hair as he walked out and into the hallway only to reenter the room. “I’m sorry. That’s the point here, I’m sorry. If I could have known- If I could have smelled my own musk, I would have stopped it, even if you weren’t off of your suppressants and if I knew that and that you were-” he stuttered and his voice dropped, “if I knew you were an omega… either way, I’m just so sorry.”

Through the tail-end of the apology, Johnny found himself nodding slowly along with the rhythm of Daniel’s words. Still not ready to accept said apology, he only said, “I know,” and was taken off guard by his own truth. “LaRusso?”

“Yes?”

He yanked the blanket out from underneath his own body and shimmied a bit closer to the wall.

“Can you get the comforter out of the hall closet?”

And biting back a smile, Daniel nodded and went to get it for him. 


	3. Chapter 3

With his comforter, the heavy blanket he’d already been set up with, and an extra pillow Daniel had found and insisted he take as well, Johnny found that he was finally secure in his house. It was never something he was worried about before, but with LaRusso just down the hall, he was still a bit on edge.

Daniel tried not to take it personally, knowing it’d probably be the same with any alpha. This was especially so considering he was apparently one of the first alphas in Johnny’s life to ever know about this. He wondered for the briefest of moments if that was entirely true before brushing the question off. It had to be true, if the reaction to his and Amanda’s discovery was any indication.

This was privileged information, and he was only happy to be the bearer of it.

A knock sounded at the door and he rose to meet it, thinking it was Amanda.

It was Miguel.

“Hey Sensei, I know you probably wanted to be al-” He froze, a smile still stuck on his face from the shock of someone decidedly not Johnny standing in front of him. “Mr. LaRusso?”

“Yeah,” he said, adjusting the jacket of his suit nervously as he leaned to cover more of the doorway. He didn’t know the kid well, only having seen him in person the two times he’d been to the Cobra Kai Dojo and passingly recognizing him from the “viral video” Sam had shown him prior to the parent teacher conference that followed the cafeteria fight.

This was one of Johnny’s students, and he was apparently a very fast learner. Daniel could see Miguel’s eyes flicking around, trying to see past him into the apartment. His pupils were blown, and his lips twitched. He was trying to smell what was going on inside.

“Look, Johnny’s not in the best place right now. Maybe you can come back a bit later, okay?”

His answer was the twitch in Miguel’s shoulder before he reared back and aimed a kick at Daniel’s chest. He moved the door in front of his body in time for Miguel’s foot to meet that instead and force it open, sending Daniel stumbling back to the couch.

He didn’t have much time to react after that, having to block a punch meant for his chest and then another kick, this one coming up to meet his ribs. Grabbing Miguel’s leg, he spun him to the side and slammed him on the ground. It was a reactive move, one born of just following the motions, and he regretted it immediately when he saw that the boy hadn’t even thought to brace himself before he roughly met the floor.

Miguel didn’t seem too phased, jumping back onto his feat to ask, “Where is Sensei Lawrence!?” with his fists raised.

He was prepared to attack again if he didn’t like Daniel’s answer.

“He’s trying to sleep,” he said, voice dropping to a harsh whisper. “He’s just down the hall, but I don’t think he’d want you in there right now. Whatever you think is going on, it’s really not. I promise. The hormones in the air just have you all hyped up. Right now, you need to  _ leave.” _

“Ha!” He punched again, his fist diverted by Daniel swinging his forearm to the side.

He trapped Miguel’s arm to his flank and jabbed him in the side with the intent of knocking the wind out of him. Instead, his arm was grabbed and he was forced down too meet a headbutt that flooded his mouth with the taste of blood pouring back from his nose.

“I’m sure you’d like me to leave you alone with him,  _ huh?” _ he said, grabbing Daniel by the shoulders and throwing him in front of the door. Miguel then stood between him and the hall to Johnny’s room, his posture now lower. He really did look like a cobra preparing to strike. “No one’s going near Sensei Lawrence, especially not some alpha that hates him! God- aren’t you  _ married, _ dude?”

“I  _ am,” _ Daniel groaned, the words muffled as he cupped his hands around his mouth and nose. “She and I are actually trying to  _ help  _ Johnny right now.”

At hearing that, Miguel relaxed his shoulders, though he remained in his stance.

“Is she here?”

“She went out to get some stuff. I don’t know when she’ll be back. If you promise to leave Johnny alone, you can wait here until she gets back. Just to make sure nothing funny is happening, if you want.”

Miguel didn’t answer one way or another, eyes still dark as he raised his hands a bit higher. It was as if to say he was allowing Daniel to stand, but that he wouldn’t take any movement toward the hall or Miguel himself lightly.

“Diaz, tone it down.”

He turned to see Johnny standing at the end of the hall, a thick comforter resting in the crook of his elbows. His voiced had cracked with sleep, exhaustion evident as his tone even as he offered a lazy smile.

“Sensei-!” he said with a relieved smile.

“Quieter, _please,”_ Johny snapped. “Damn kid, if you have to defend my honor or whatever, can you do it somewhere else?”

“I-” He finally dropped his stance and bowed toward his sensei. “I’m sorry, Sensei. I just saw him, and I assumed the worst. I didn’t mean to insult you.”

“No need for formalities, not like we’re in a dojo.” He readjusted the blanket around his arms so that it was instead draped over his shoulders and cloaking his body from the neck down rather than the waist. “Like I said, go home. You can tell me how your first  _ official  _ date went later. LaRusso’s got me covered.”

Even in the dim light of the hallway, which was sharing the light of the living room, Johnny could see the panic that set into Miguel’s face.

“You mean that he’s really...” he turned around to find Daniel closing the apartment door and leaning on the handle with exhaustion pulling at his face. Turning around, he was now bowing towards  _ him. _ “I’m so sorry, Mr. LaRusso!”

“It’s fine,” he said with a laugh. “I’d probably do the same thing. I mean, not a lot else you can safely assume, right? You were just trying to look out for Johnny.”

The man in question scoffed. “As if I couldn’t kick your ass, even in heat.”

Surprise colored both Miguel and Daniel’s faces, and they near-shouted in unison, “He knows?”

“Yes, he knows,” Johnny said like it was nothing. “You both know. You  _ also  _ both know that this better stay between us. Got it?”

“Yes, Sensei, but-” Miguel cut himself off, eyes flicking back to Daniel as he took a step backward into the living room.

Johnny’s eyes narrowed and he begrudgingly took a step forward.

“Diaz, you know I hate when you clam up. For the last time: Spit it out.”

“If you’re really in heat, why is  _ he  _ here?”

“Oh, that’s easy. LaRusso has the worst luck I’ve ever seen.  _ Almost  _ as bad as mine. That’s why he’s here right now.” As if that answered everything, he spun around and shoved open the door to his room. Still facing away from the alphas in his living room, he asked, “Did you tweet the class?”

Miguel considered explaining that you wouldn’t “tweet” something like that, unless you had a proper Cobra Kai twitter for the dojo’s events, and that he’d just mass texted everyone. Instead, he said, “Yeah. Should I tell them it’ll take a bit longer?”

“Check with me on monday if I don’t find you first. Tuesday should be plenty of time, though.” He turned over his shoulder, not really looking back at Miguel. “Thanks again, Diaz. You’re a good student.”

His face lit up, and he stood up a bit straighter at the praise. “No problem. See you tuesday.”

Johnny waved absently. “Yeah yeah. Be ready to kick some ass when you do. We have a tournament to train for.” Then he disappeared into his bedroom.

Miguel nodded, though Johnny couldn’t see, and grabbed knob on the front door. Pausing, he looked back up at Daniel. Though he smiled, there was a thinly-veiled malice resting in his eyes. 

“I’ll see him tuesday,” he repeated, this time to Daniel.

It was a warning.

Daniel didn’t take it too seriously, knowing that he wouldn’t have anything to fear as long as he did as planned. “Don’t worry. I’ll look out for him until then.”

Miguel nodded, his smile growing a bit more genuine as he finally pulled open the door and slipped outside.

Only when he’d left did Daniel grab at his shoulder with a pained, “Aah…”

It had been a long time since he’d had to manhandle someone like that, and without the adrenaline of the moment or the need to play off the pain, the strain in his shoulder came full force. He rubbed at the muscle as he walked back down the hall and returned to Johnny’s open doorway.

Flicking on the hall light and allowing the dim yellow to spill into Johnny’s room, he asked, “How much of that did you teach him?”

Johnny sat up in the bed with a laugh. “Was he good?”

“Yeah. Telegraphed every kick and punch from miles away, but yeah, he was good.”

The smile fell from Johnny’s face. “Well, he’s got a bit of a way to go. But yeah, I taught him everything he knows. Shame he probably won’t respect me any more after this.”

“Oh don’t act like that,” Daniel said. “As someone still in the karate business, there are plenty of omega students out there.”

“No shit, Sherlock,  _ I _ was an omega student. I mean an omega  _ instructor. _ One that isn’t all soft. A badass, not a pansyass.”

Daniel nodded, seemingly in understanding. Then, “But Johnny?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re an omega instructor,  _ too.  _ I’m sure Miguel can see that.”

Johnny pursed his lips, nodding slowly as he kept his eyes trained on Daniel. When they finally flicked away, it was with a hiss of pain as he curled in on himself.

“Woah, Johnny, you okay?” Daniel asked, coming to rest on the edge of the bed.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it,” he groaned as he turned away from Daniel, arms clamped over his middle.

Watching as Johnny compressed and rubbed at his stomach, his shoulders slumped.

“Cramps?” he asked, flinching back when Johnny turned on him.

“Don’t crack jokes.”

“I’m not,” he said hands up in a surrender. “I just thought I could help.”

“I moved all my heat packs to the dojo, so unless you have one on you, I’m just gonna have to grin and bear it.”

“Or you could let me help.” He leaned forward with a wide grin, eyebrows shooting half way up to his hairline and silently asking for permission. Johnny gave it with a nod, though he did turn away and flinched when Daniel clapped. “Great! Alright, so this is a technique Mr. Miyagi taught me- lay down,” he gently pressed on his shoulders, “and don’t look at me like that. He taught it to me, but I mean, I was never as good at it as him. He could fix joints and even helped set my leg when your lovely team mate busted my knee.”

“Bobby apologized for that,” Johnny barked. “A  _ lot.” _

“Yeah, I know, but Mr. Miyagi’s the one that fixed it. Like I said, I’m not as good or confident as  _ he _ was, but I’ve been known to ease the occasional strained muscle and- lucky for you- cramps.” 

He reached down to grab the hem of Johnny’s shirt, stopping when a pale hand snapped around his wrist. His eyes found Johnny’s, wide and frightened under his furrowed brow as his mouth drew back in a firm line and heavy breaths wracked his chest.

In a quiet voice that Daniel would use for a scared animal, he said, “I can do it  _ over  _ your shirt, if you want.”

Johnny sucked in a deep breath. His eyelids fell shut, and he swallowed.

He shook his head, said, “No no, it’s fine,” and let go of his hand. He forced out a bark of laughter before falling back on the pillows behind him. “Sorry ‘bout that. Don’t know what it was. Stupid fucking instincts.”

Daniel nodded and let out a laugh of his own as he gently pulled up the hem of Johnny’s shirt just enough to expose his stomach. With one more glance at Johnny to make sure he was comfortable, he clapped his hands together and got to work.

Johnny’s stomach had seemed soft, even quivering with the cramps that worsened as he leaned back. Of course, Daniel was able to feel the muscles under that soft layer when he made contact. It was a stiff surface unlike Amanda’s lean stomach. Hers was smooth with a light give, even after having their children. Johnny was soft until Daniel reached the hidden abs, a happy trail of blonde hair leading down to the top of his boxers.

Only realizing it was an odd angle when he’d gotten started, Daniel pursed his lips and offered a silent apology in the form of a nod as he pulled his knee onto the bed to face Johnny properly and cup the side closest to him with his hand while the other wrapped around Johnny’s middle. It was almost like a hug until he went back to pressing down with the heel of his hand to gently knead the flesh of his stomach.

Johnny bit back a groan at the warmth of his hands, and Daniel did him the favor of not mentioning it as he continued.

_ “Fuck,” _ he almost moaned, “you really  _ are _ good at this.”

“Thank you,” Daniel said, eyes closing as a prideful smile stretched over his face and he found himself relaxing into the motions.

“I’m serious. Forget the  _ dealership.  _ You should build a fucking  _ spa  _ or  _ massage parlor _ or whatever.”

Johnny’s eyes were still closed in euphoria as he rested one of his hands across his chest and the other palmed at his side to find a blanket, which he then pulled over his face in a pile. More like a pillow over his face than spread out as a sheet, he used it to smother another groan.

“Better than a heat pack?”

“So much better than a God damn heat pack,” he mumbled through the blanket, prompting Daniel to chuckle.

Freed from Johnny’s gaze, Daniel found his own eyes slowly running over his stomach as well as his hands. Then it was down to where his boxers ended, pale thighs peeking from under them and the comforter that still draped over Johnny’s legs.

If he’d told his high school self that he’d find himself like this with Johnny Lawrence in the future, it’d be  _ Daniel _ getting the crane kick to the face.

He tried to stifle that laugh, his brows shooting up in agreement with the stray thought. The last thing he wanted was Johnny thinking he was laughing at him.

An omega.

How could Daniel not have noticed that?

If not him, then what about Johnny’s friends?

A life condemned to hiding such a big part of him for the favor of those around him didn’t seem appealing, but Johnny was certainly right about one thing: Daniel didn’t know what it was like to be an omega.

It didn’t seem as though everything was fully suppressed, if the obvious nesting behaviors were any indication. No matter how much he wracked his brain, however, he couldn’t seem to bring up a memory of something strange he noticed.

It was likely he’d spent too much time cowering from the other man to really look at him like that. It was  _ more  _ likely he’d never thought to look for anything else.

When his hands could no longer find a source of tension in Johnny’s stomach, he stopped. He almost patted Johnny twice on the stomach- a reflex from performing the same trick on his loving wife with a sense of humor that would surely get him killed if he tried it on a pissed omega that already felt like a laughingstock- but was stopped when the blanket was shoved down to Johnny’s chest.

He was panting, his face flushed from his natural heat as well as the blanket’s incubation of his head.

“You done?” he asked, snapping Daniel back to reality.

Realizing he was talking about the massage, Daniel said, “Oh, yeah,” and shoved himself off of the edge of the bed as Johnny resituated himself in the blankets.

“Thank you.” The words fell too easily from his lips for Daniel to not be surprised, though his blissful expression was passifying. “If I’d known you could do that, maybe I would have told you a long time ago.”

“You would have?”

“No. So, is your girl really bringing suppressants? Where’s she getting those?”

“Her name is  _ Amanda, _ and I don’t know. I can only think she’ll try to track down her old omega network.”

Johnny clicked his tongue and chuckled as he turned over onto his stomach to properly look at Daniel. “Rich omegas that aren’t pussies about it use those?”

“She hasn’t used them since we made headway on the dealership.” Really thinking about what Johnny had said, he tilted his head at the insinuation. “Are you calling yourself a- a  _ pussy?” _

“Isn’t that how you see me? Hiding being an omega instead of just coming out and saying it?”

“You said you had your reasons. I’m an alpha that doesn’t understand them, but I can respect that.”

“I wouldn’t. If I were an alpha, I mean.”

“Like I said:  _ I _ can respect that.”

His tone was level, coming out as a soft, airy whisper, but the words carried a hidden blow that left Johnny stunned under his unbothered expression. The recoil left him speechless, which he further covered but just closing his eyes and lowering his head. Daniel did him the mercy of letting it slide, leaving to wait in the living room.

Amanda rhapped against the door a small while later, Daniel opening it to find her stumbling into the apartment with a milkcrate in her arms

“Oh you really went all-out on this care package, huh?”

“You know it,” she laughed. In a lower voice, she added, “least we could do after you set off his heat.”

“I didn’t  _ mean to.” _

“I know. But babe?”

“Yeah?”

She leaned in. “You did.” 

Leaving him with that, she paced to the kitchen counter to begin sorting through the box, taking care to leave things spaced out while in plain view on the counter should Johnny come to look for them.

“I managed to get a full month of pills,” she said, pride coloring her expression as she placed the compact of medication on top of a case of water bottles. “I’m just gonna run these in. Is he sleeping?”

“He was trying to,” Daniel said.

Her brow furrowed in unease at the implication, and she left the water and pills on the counter as she crossed her arms.

“You  _ did _ go in and talk to him, right? Properly apologize?”

“I did,” he insiste, his tone not unlike that of a teenager. “Kind of glad he’s hiding the fact that he’s a- well, a ‘you know.’ He’d never let me live this down otherwise.”

She tilted her head to the side. “A ‘you know?’”

“Not like that! Just, you know- you’re an omega, but Johnny’s a ‘you know,’ it just-” He paused to process what he was trying to say, groaning when he couldn’t find the words. “It’s just different when it comes to him.”

“Oh?” She stepped closer with a dangerous smile. “Is it different when the bully that you’re still so scared off turns out to be an omega? Is that great crane kick that saved all of karate a little less impressive?”

“It’s not like that,” he insisted. “Omegas are great, they’re strong-  _ you’re  _ strong, Johnny’s  _ obviously  _ strong- I mean, how can I think omegas are lesser than alphas? I spent the first two months of my life down here getting my ass kicked by one, apparently!”

“So you just thought omegas were weak before tonight?”

He clamped his mouth shut and held up his hands, lips pursing as he surrendered.

Amanda grabbed the water from the counter. Still smiling, she leaned close to him and whispered, “Smart answer,” before shouldering past him to allert Johnny to the care package.

Daniel deflated as soon as she’d gone, palming at the back of his neck as he hoped Johnny would still be asleep and she’d reemerge with the order to leave a note on their way out. Instead, quiet voices trailed down the hall. Not only did he realize he’d be staying here a bit longer as they talked, but then he heard Johnny’s quiet laughter and grew impossibly uncomfortable that his childhood nemesis was talking to his wife alone.

Okay, so “nemesis” was a little much, but it had more of a punch than “kid that beat me up twice and I fought in a karate competition once.”

He’d never thought of Johnny as a nemesis before they were adults. Sure he didn’t look back on all of their time together fondly, but it was hard to find malice in even the memory of the All Valley Tournament. It was hard to find it for Johnny, at least, when he could so clearly remember which hands shoved that trophy into his own and the call of “You’re alright, LaRusso,” over the cheers of the crowd.

If that was the kind of attitude Johnny was going to breathe into Cobra Kai’s memory, maybe Daniel could learn to be a bit less bitter about the dojo’s being in the All Valley Tournament.

He just didn’t want to read too much into the fact that it took knowing Johnny was an omega to see that he probably did mean well by this.

He didn’t get the chance to in that moment, as Amanda reemerged. The sight of her down the hall brought Daniel to stand up from the couch, the question “Ready to go?” on the edge of his tongue. It fizzled out when he saw the flat of water still in her hands and Johnny behind her, again with the comforter twisted around his arms.

“You sure you should be out of bed?” he asked, eyes flicking down to Amanda before resettling on Johnny.

“I’m in heat, not invalid.” Johnny rolled his eyes. “And I’d like to just go back to bed, but unfortunately-”

“I thought it’d be a good idea for him to come back with us,” Amanda finished.

Daniel’s face pulled tight with horror, a forced smile fighting to keep the corners of his mouth from turning downwards under his too-wide eyes.

She began debating the unsaid objection with the same points she’d probably used to win Johnny over in the first place. “We have the room, and our house is a bit more removed than an apartment like this. He ‘ll get found easier here, and he’d be entirely on his own if there were complications. He’s fresh off of his suppressants, Daniel. You remember what it was like for us having to take breaks while living in places like this. Would you have left me alone?”

Between the lines of her words, Daniel could read the true implications. The picture of thin walls, nothing to disguise the smell, and a flimsy lock the landlord probably hadn’t change out wasn’t pretty.

Johnny straightened out in the silence, sighing as he craned his neck to the side.

“It’s no big deal. I’m not exactly up for it, either,” he said. “I’ll just stay here, it won’t be that big of a deal.”

“Nonsense,” Amanda said. “It’s the least we could do.”

Laughter framed Johnny’s words as he said, “You’ve done enough. Seriously, the ‘least you could do’ is just leave me alone and not tell anyone. The meds, the water, this guy looking out for me for an hour- all cherries on top.”

“I also got you M&Ms.”

“A life saver.”

“But really, wouldn’t you feel better if you had people around? You could stay in the pool house! No need to worry about anyone barging in or you not having privacy, it’d be like having an apartment but we’re right there if you need us.”

Johnny’s lip twitched and his eyes found LaRusso over her before he fixed the blanket over his shoulders. It stayed there as he turned to the counter, opening the drawer on the other side to produce a pen and notepad.

He scrawled down a number and tore off the page, offering it to her.

“I can tell you’re gonna be one of the annoying ‘I have to help’ type of people, so here- you can check on me like once a day. If I don’t answer, send your crazy husband to stick his nose in my business again.”

She chuckled and took the sheet from him, still looking as though she wanted to push him to come with them. Without back up from Daniel, though, she conceded with a nod.

“Okay. Do you want us to put our numbers in your phone?”

Johnny tilted his head. “How do you do that?”

Daniel cut between them, “Maybe we should just write them down.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of the nice comments! I'm excited to work on this, as omegaverse is kind of my guilty pleasure and Cobra Kai makes me as guiltier as it is more pleasurable. A deadly combination, to be honest. Hoping I can get another chapter out soon!


	4. Chapter 4

He couldn’t get off.

No matter how much Johnny tried, the friction of sheets and the pressure of the pillows against his chest, just weren’t enough for him. So instead of finding release and passing out, he was left to roll his hips fruitlessly against his bunched up blanket and ignore the lingering scent of LaRusso that still permeated the apartment.

He needed to get off.

To take his mind off of that need, he pulled himself from the wet sheets to stumble into the kitchen and sift through his cabinets. The water had been left by his bed- Johnny forcing himself to drink only a few a day for lack of want to make trips to the bathroom- but food was still an issue.

If he’d wanted it in his room, he would have had LaRusso help him drag the fridge in there the day before. The microwave could have sat on the foot of his bed, and he could have been brought to tears by his lack of sexual satisfaction to the whistle of a Hot Pocket finishing up when he could not.

But Johnny couldn’t do that to himself. He knew that he needed the break from wallowing in his own pheromones and rutting against his bedding. If the food was in his room, he wouldn’t try.

A loud chime startled him, causing Johnny to sputter as he almost dropped one of the aforementioned Hot Pockets. He only really settled down when he realized the chime was his phone, which had miraculously not died yet.

He didn’t recognize the number until his eyes scanned over to the notepad beside it.

It was the LaRussos.

They’d written two numbers, and neither of them were labeled, so he wasn’t exactly sure which was calling.

Knowing the same couple who’d so readily invaded his space when they thought he needed help wouldn’t take silence as anything good- and to be fair, he  _ had _ given them permission to stick their nose into his business if he didn’t answer- he simply hit the green key and waited for whoever it was to say something first.

Daniel was that “whoever.”

_ “Hey, Johnny,” _ he said, and Johnny could picture the forced smile on his face.  _ “Everything going alright? Better today?” _

“Yeah,” he answered curtly, turning to check the stove clock.

It was almost two in the afternoon, so this was by no means meant to be a wake up call, though it may as well have been by his own standards.

_ “That’s good.”  _ And then, because he couldn’t stop talking, Daniel kept talking.  _ “So, I know Miguel has your students covered. Is there anyone else I should give an excuse to for why you won’t be meeting them?” _

“Thanks for the offer, LaRusso.” Sarcasm dripped from his voice. “You’re a real pal, but no. My students are the only ones I really see nowadays. Them and my shitty landlord, that is, but you already know about him.”

_ “Now I will agree that was… messed up of me to do.” _

“Really fucked up.”

_ “But it doesn’t look like it’s gonna be a problem anymore. You have half my daughter’s school in your dojo.” _

Johnny laughed, pinching his phone between his shoulder and his ear as threw his food in the microwave to start it up. “Yeah, and you’re not too thrilled about that.”

_ “Understatement,”  _ Daniel confessed with his own chuckle.

With it, the amusement fell from Johnny’s own voice. “Yeah, well you won’t have to worry about that anymore.”

He was about to end the call there. He’d let the jerk who put him in this situation know he was still alive and that there wasn’t any guilt to be asked of him. No other obligation was held over him.

Yet, when his hand hovered over the end call button, Daniel’s cry of,  _ “Wait wait- what?”  _ stopped him.

_ “Johnny what are you talking about? Look, if this is about your… status-” _

Johnny rolled his eyes.

_ “- Amanda and I really  _ aren’t _ going to say anything. We wouldn’t do that to anyone, definitely not you.” _

“They won’t know I’m an omega, yeah,” he leaned back against the counter and returned the phone to his ear, “but dropping off the grid for a week when I’m supposed to get serious about their training for the All-Valley? Parents aren’t gonna like that. The kids that do stick around, they’re not gonna be ready in time- not even Miguel. So yeah, LaRusso. You got what you wanted. You won’t have to worry about the difference between my Cobra Kai and Kreese’s anymore. You won.”

_ “Johnny-” _ Daniel said quickly only to cut himself off, as if he was trying to stop him from hanging up again but didn’t know what to say.  _ “Johnny, I’m sorry this happened. I really am.” _

“You said that already.”

_ “What if I trained them? Just until you get back!” _

Johnny’s face fell from displeased to something  _ deeper.  _ He felt the pull of his jaw downward even as his lip twitched upward into the beginnings of a snarl.

“What did you just ask me?”

_ “No no! Not permanently, and no funny business, I mean it! I won’t- I won’t coddle em’ or do anything- I mean even just training you just don’t  _ agree  _ with is better than them trying to do it themselves and learning bad habits or… not trying at all, right?” _

Silence stretched over the line as Johnny ran through his options.

It really was either let his students lag behind or turn them over to LaRusso.

_ Nice try,  _ he almost spat,  _ You’re literally the last person I want around my students.  _ He prepared to say the thought allowed, only to pause as an image of Kreese flashed in his mind.  _ That’s not exactly true. _

The microwave rang to signal that his food was ready.

_ “I get it,”  _ Daniel said.  _ “Don’t worry, it was just an idea. I’m glad you’re feeling better, though.” _

“You give me your  _ word  _ that you won’t coddle them?”

For the first time in his life, it seemed, Daniel LaRusso didn’t know what to say.

That blessed moment was soon shattered with a mantra of,  _ “Yes! Yes, yes, yes!”  _ and  _ “Of course of course!” _

“Alright, alright,” Johnny pacified him. “Just don’t let them break you. All that rust has probably made you brittle.”

_ “Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”  _

A soft laugh threaded through the phone, leaving Johnny to gently smile as he rolled his eyes. 

“Sitting in on sports committees doesn’t mean you aren’t out of practice, you know.”

_ “I do know. And I’ll have  _ you _ know that you aren’t the only one who’s turned to teaching. Ah, shit, speaking of which, is it okay if I bring him to the dojo? He won’t be a Cobra, don’t worry, I just don’t want to leave him out to dry.” _

“You have a son?”

_ “No, no. Well, I  _ do,  _ but he’s not really interested in karate. This is just a kid who started working at the dealership and needed some direction. I taught him a few things here and there, but it’s not like he’s looking to compete or anything. He just needs this structure.” _

“Oh sure, I don’t care. Sure the kids’ll appreciate the fresh meat.” When all he got was a fresh batch of silence, Johnny tacked on, “I’m joking.”

Daniel didn’t really laugh, though some forced, airy noise did escape him.

“They’re really good kids,” Johnny said. “They strike first, and they strike hard- but that just means they’re not pushovers.”

_ “Yeah, I heard your speech, remember?” _

“Yeah, and I  _ meant it. _ Look, I get that you’re not crazy about Cobra Kai, but they are. If you’re going to do this favor for me, you’re gonna have to do it right.”

He thought that was going to be the end of the conversation, only for Daniel to surprise him again.

_ “Yeah, okay. I can do that. When do have classes?” _

Johnny groaned and readdressed the clock.

“You’re probably not gonna be able to get down here by four, are you?”

_ “I can do that,”  _ Daniel said almost too quickly.  _ “Do you, uh, need me to drop by and hash out details?” _

“I’ll just send the lessons with Miguel.”

_ “You actually write out your lessons?” _

_ Yeah, some of us don’t model our teaching styles after old handymen.  _ He kept that thought to himself and tried not to focus on how little he would have held his tongue before.

“Don’t worry, they’re nothing intricate,” he said. “Miguel can probably help with anything that doesn’t click. Tch- helped me write out half the damn thing.”

_ “I’ll ask him, then. Shouldn’t be too hard, though.” _

“Don’t take this lightly.”

_ “I won’t. I won’t. Miguel is uh- he’s the kid from last night?” _

“Yeah. Don’t worry, he’s usually super docile. Tch, almost  _ too _ docile. He’ll probably apologize a million times and try to avoid you the whole time out of embarrassment.”

Silence claimed their call once more.

_ “Why did you- when did it, uh, come up that you were an omega? Around him?” _

The question brought out Johnny’s first genuine laugh of the conversation as he leaned back and pulled his hand lazily over his forehead. “It’s a long story. He was asking about-” dating advice, “some stuff, and it slipped. Stupidest I’ve ever been. He’s good, though. I know he’ll keep it a secret.”

_ “You trust him, huh?” _

“Like I said, he’s docile… and he’s my best student.” Catching himself, he tooka moment to recompose his train of thought. “Forget it. Thanks for doing this, LaRusso. Miguel will see you at the dojo in two hours. Don’t be late.”

He ended the call with urgency.

There was stuff he had to get in order before calling Miguel, and his Hot Pocket was getting cold.

When he finally did call Miguel, it was with the messy lesson plan stretched in front of him on the kitchen counter. He’d previously thrown everything in there with little care for how it was arranged. It wasn’t as though it was thoughtlessly put together. It was good enough for him, and he never got lost. 

An organized chaos.

If LaRusso was looking this over, however, he knew he would have to carve out some more details. 

Phone pinched between his ear and shoulder, he blurted out, “Hey,” before Miguel could get in a word. “Tell the other cobras there’ll be training today after all .”

_ “Really!?”  _ he chirped, a breath of relief falling after it.  _ “So it was just a scare, then? Or- or did you-?” _

“I’m still not gonna be the one training you. Not directly, at least, but at least you kids won’t be going soft while I’m gone.”

_ “Oh- so, more independent training? But together?” _

“Not exactly. You’ll have an instructor.”

_ “That’s good because I don’t know if you actually read that insurance information but there has to be a legal adult in the dojo for any of us to be in there.”  _ Miguel paused for too long before he remembered to ask,  _ “Wait, who’s the instructor?” _

Johnny wet his lips as he continued sorting the binder.

“It’s LaRusso.”

_ “What!?” _

“Do you have a problem with that?”

_ “Uh- no, Sensei! I just thought you wouldn’t want him near- I mean, he tried to keep Cobra Kai out of the tournament. Why do you trust him to help us now?” _

“It’s complicated, Diaz,” Johnny said in lieu of a direct answer. “Look, LaRusso and I haven’t always been on the best of terms. Actually- our terms have been pretty shitty. Still, he wouldn’t try and rough you guys up or turn you away from karate altogether. The worst that could happen today is he tries to get you all to play in his hippy-dippy ‘defense only’ bullshit. As long as I’m back on my feet in time to get you back to striking hard and looking badass, we’ll be good to go. Besides, I’m sure hitting the mat will be enough to knock that out of your systems as soon as he puts it in.

“But that’s why I need you to be there today. Keep an eye on him, make sure he isn’t pulling anything funny while I’m gone. Try and keep track of things he changes. I also need you to grab my lesson plans before you head to the dojo so that he doesn’t have an excuse to go off track and have you guys do any of that pansy bullshit. Can you do that for me?”

He said, _ “Of course, Sensei,” _ and Johnny could hear the smile in his voice.  _ “I’ll be there right after school. Do you want me to give everyone a heads up that you won’t be there but we’ll still be having class? Or should I just let them know class isn’t cancelled?” _

“Whatever you want, Diaz. Just make sure they’re there. And hey, don’t break LaRusso, okay? I still need him to cover at least two more classes- probably three.”

Miguel laughed.  _ “Best behavior, got it. See you in a bit!” _

Johnny nodded and ended the call, knowing it didn’t matter that Miguel couldn’t see the acknowledgement.

Then it was back to the papers in front of him, a scowl written across his face as he pulled a Taco Bell wrapper from between two of the pages.

Perhaps the chaos wasn’t as organized as he’d thought.

At almost three, he slid the binder outside after dousing it in the other half of his alpha spray to drown out his own omega stench that clung to the pages. Then he was left to keep an eye on it through the peephole. If there was some weirdo out there collecting karate training regimens, it would be just his luck that they’d happen upon his doorstep. Luckily, Miguel showed up first.

He stooped to examine it, his brow creased with confusion as he picked it up and turned it over in his hands.

“What are you waiting for?” Johnny asked through the door, stifling a laugh when MIguel jumped and whipped around in an attempt to look for him. “You didn’t really think I was gonna let you in, did you?”

“Ah, no, Sensei,” he said, bowing to the still-closed door. “Um, are you okay, though? Do you need anything before I take this to the dojo?”

“Nope. I’m all set up to ride this thing out. Then I’ll be back to busting you and the class’ collective balls in prep for the All-Valley, you got that?”

A wide grin broke out over Miguel’s face. “Wouldn’t have it any other way! See you later, Sensei! I’ll keep an eye on Mr. LaRusso for you!”

Johnny turned away before Miguel actually took off, though the sound of his footsteps pounding against the walkway and then the stairs echoed off of the walls of his apartment as he slid back down against the door.

With that  _ adventure _ out of the way, it was back to sulking through his heat.

He wondered briefly if worrying about the kid as some kind of surrogate was keeping him from falling into the true throes of it in the same way that kind of biological instinct kept single omegas on their feet. Of course, he soon reasoned, that would be stupid. If worrying about the kids at all was enough to keep him sane  _ right then, _ it would have been enough to keep the whole thing from starting at the dojo.

A chill ran up Johnny’s spine at the memory, and his right hand folded over his left wrist as he rubbed at his arm. Eyes squeezing shut, he worked through what he knew was a bout of anxiety. Always normal for an omega in heat, but no less despised than anything else his body was putting him through.

It took him a while to realize he was actually  _ panting  _ before he threw himself off of the ground to stagger back to the comfort of his bedroom. No more safe than anywhere else in his locked apartment, it was still the place where his scent was the strongest. Thus, it was the safest place in his heat-addled mind.

As soon as he hit the bed, pain and heat surged through his abdomen and brought Johnny to bite around his thumb to stifle a moan that worked its way through his chest.

He ground his hips against the sheets and huffed through his nose with the exertion of each motion, knowing that it still wouldn’t be enough.


End file.
